uWhat Does Spotify’s New Privacy Policy Actually Say, And Should I Be Worried?r

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  (Emily)

  
  Spotify has basically run away with the music market over the last couple of years, boasting over 75 million active users. But the popular streaming service this week ticked off a bunch of those customers this week when it updated its privacy policy and user terms and conditions. And their timing couldn’t have been worse: the combination of seeming to add a dramatic and invasive new set of permissions to their apps, in a week when privacy concerns and hacks are already the top headline, set off an angry internet firestorm.

  The new privacy policy has garnered criticism for a few clauses in particular. Those sentences say that Spotify “may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files,” which does actually sound pretty creepy, and also that Spotify may “collect information about your location based on… your phone’s GPS location or other forms of locating mobile devices (e.g. Bluetooth).”

  Wired calls the new policy “eerie” and advises readers they can’t do squat about it. The Verge counters that everyone — including Wired — is overreacting. And Spotify had to issue a clarification and apology today going over the changes, and the permissions it requests.

  So who’s right? Everyone, in part.

  Wired is right because of the broader context, which is: most privacy policies are terrible. They do not guarantee you privacy; they just outline and detail the ways in which you do not have any. They are not protection but rather, explanation.

  Spotify’s clarification about the ways in which it plans to limit the collection and use of data helps, but doesn’t eliminate the core problem, which is that lots of apps and services just rake in mountains of data, without even having clear plans for why they want to sit on that treasure trove of personal information. Or worse, that they do have a clear plan, and that plan is “sell it to advertisers and third parties.”

  The Verge is right, on the other hand, because Spotify is probably not up to nefarious no-good wholesale resale of consumer data. As the official apology and The Verge’s analysis both point out, these permissions make it easier for Spotify to continue to add new, optional features to their service that a lot of users will probably really like. And if you want an app to do cool aggregative or predictive or customized things for you, or if you want to be one of the 50 million users sticking with the free, ad-supported version of the service, it needs information to do those things with. Thus, your data.

  So how much you personally will want to freak out depends on how much data you, personally are comfortable with Spotify accessing.

  Spotify promises repeatedly in their update that they are all about clarity and permission. The running theme of their entire statement is: no, seriously, we will only collect and use this information if you let us. In theory, Spotify will explicitly ask you specifically for permission before accessing any particular stuff on your phone, and you can say no.

  “Let me be crystal clear here: If you don’t want to share this kind of information, you don’t have to,” writes CEO Daniel Ek. “We will ask for your express permission before accessing any of this data – and we will only use it for specific purposes that will allow you to customize your Spotify experience.”

  That level of user control, Ek continues, applies to photos, location, voice (microphone), and contacts. As for data sharing, Spotify points out that sharing information with mobile carriers, rights holders, and advertisers is universal and the way that the entire system of mobile apps and streaming services works.

  The thing about explicit permissions, though, is that they’re not always all that explicit. Much of the time, they show up in a vague general dump when you update or install the app, and hitting “okay” counts as explicitly accepting all the terms. Phone software makers (Apple and Google) have gotten much better over time about letting users which permissions they grant or reject at the time they install an app, but there’s still room for improvement.

  But after this little tempest, it seems likely that Spotify, at least, will err on the side of caution going forward when it asks to poke around in your stuff.

  
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by Kate Cox via Consumerist

uFun With Surveys: Consumerist And Consumer Reports Need Your Helpr

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  (Pixteca | Len & Pix【ツ】)

  Consumer Reports and Consumerist need volunteers to participate in audience research: As an ad-free non-profit, we work only for you! In order to do our very best, we need to know what you think. This is your big chance to help guide us. Our parent-company, Consumer Reports, would like to understand your opinions on a range of topics, including general purchases and cause-based organizations. Your responses will remain confidential. Your views will only be expressed in aggregate, combined with the views of others. We will not associate your personal information (including your email address) with your responses, and we will not sell or provide your email address to any third party.

  ATTENTION: This survey is detailed (because we care) and may take as long as 30 minutes to complete. We understand that your time is valuable, and we sincerely appreciate your help! CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY.

  
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by consumerist.com via Consumerist

uAmazon’s Echo Might Be Getting More Useful With SmartThings Integrationr

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  A demo of the new SmartThings/Echo partnership showed users commanding the speaker to turn on and dim lights.

  If telling your web-connected home entertainment speaker to reorder laundry detergent wasn’t enough (when is it?), Amazon is reportedly giving Echo the ability to essentially run your home through a new partnership with SmartThings.

  Citing a SmartThings blog that was taken down, TechCrunch reports that the two companies are preparing to launch an update that would roll SmartThings capabilities into the Echo speaker (which has also been called “Siri in a box”).

  Echo, which was first unveiled in November 2014, functions much like other voice-activated devices: always on and always connected to the internet.

  In all, Echo has previously allowed users to ask the system’s personal assistant “Alexa” to update to-do lists, set alarms and timers, check the weather, get sports and news, get answers to questions from Wikipedia, stream music, or just talk without having to worry about a sarcastic reply (that is, until machines inevitably become self-aware and sassy).

  Now, through the new partnership, Echo would have the ability to operate any SmartThings-compatible device – or devices plugged into a SmartThings Power Outlet – in a consumer’s home.

  A demo video viewed by TechCrunch – but since taken down – showed users simply asking Alexa to do something, like dimming the lights or turning on a Sonos player.

  It’s unclear when the new Echo capabilities will roll out. We’ve reached out to Amazon for comment on the partnership and will update this post when we hear back from the company.

  TechCrunch points out that Amazon had initially been working with Wink to power different devices in the home, but the blog post points to a new plan.

  SmartThings Support Is Coming To Amazon Echo [TechCrunch]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uNorwegian Company Live Streaming 11-Month Caviar Aging Processr

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  (Mills DA on YouTube)

  If you’re the kind of person who enjoyed watching 11 hours of brisket cooking and is looking for your next challenge, you might want to slip into some extra soft pants and prepare yourself for a real food marathon: A Norwegian company is live streaming footage of barrels of caviar aging over 11 months.

  Food company Mills will have “Mills kaviar – Super Slow TV” airing on its YouTube channel live, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with footage showing a room filled with barrels.

  The slow broadcast started on Aug. 19 and will run through July 19, 2016 (totaling 7,392 hours), at which point the roe will be sufficiently matured, and “ready to take its next step on its journey towards the breakfast tables of thousands of Norwegians.”

  “Observe every step of the process — and experience how time passes — as the roe slowly matures for months,” says another video from Mills about the project”

  On the edge of your seat yet? No? Well, there’s one high point mentioned by Mills to look forward to: Barrels will get turned upside down after a few months(!).

  The idea was inspired by a quirky movement in Norway that has seen other “Slow TV” projects become a hit, including several hours of knitting, 12 hours of a fire being built and 100 hours of people playing chess.

  At the moment of this writing, I was the only person watching the room. And I have to say, the caviar barrels really don’t do much. They just sit there, like the inanimate objects filled with fish eggs that they are.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uComcast Unmasks Anonymous Commenter In Defamation Caser

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  (Chris Goldberg)

  Do online commenters have a right to remain anonymous? If their comments are possibly defamatory, should the subject of those statements have to prove the defamation before learning the identity of the writer? This are questions surrounding the story of an Illinois Comcast subscriber who, after a nearly four-year legal battle, has been identified as the writer of inflammatory comments directed at a local politician.

  This matter goes back to Dec. 2011, when someone wrote a comment on a Freeport Journal Standard article comparing the politician to former Penn State assistant coach, and convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky. A second comment under the same user name claimed that the politician had previously attempted suicide.

  The politician, claiming that these statements were false and defamatory, sued the anonymous commenter in early 2012. The Journal Standard’s parent company provided the plaintiff with the commenter’s IP address and identified him as a Comcast subscriber.

  Comcast said it could name the person associated with that IP, but told the plaintiff that it would need a court order directing the company to reveal the identity.

  This is always the difficult and complicated part of anonymous commenter/review cases, as some courts and companies are hesitant to breach that anonymity when the defamation has yet to be proven. Some even believe that outing an anonymous online commenter before a trial has a chilling effect on free speech and could prevent people from using the shield of anonymity to reveal important information that would have otherwise been kept under wraps.

  In this case, the plaintiff was able to take advantage of Illinois court rules that can allow the identification of the commenter if the plaintiff can prove that his defamation claim is likely to survive a motion to dismiss.

  The plaintiff argued that the Sandusky comparison was obviously defamatory as it implied that he’d committed the same crime as the disgraced football coach, and both a local county court and a state-level appeals court agreed, noting that this comment was not reasonably capable of an innocent construction, and that it could reasonably be interpreted as stating an actual fact (as opposed to merely an opinion of the commenter).

  The anonymous user took his case to the Illinois Supreme Court, and in June the state’s highest court affirmed [PDF] the rulings of the previous courts.

  The court noted that the Sandusky statement was irrelevant to the topic of the article, and that the claim of innocent construction of the comment “would be strained and unreasonable.”

  In breaking down whether the comparison was a statement of fact or opinion, the court looked that three factors: whether the statement has a precise and readily understood meaning; whether the statement is verifiable; and whether the statement’s literary or social context signals that it has factual content.

  “[The defendant] intended to convey the idea that [the plaintiff] was a pedophile or had engaged in sexual acts with children. Thus, the first factor is met,” writes the court, which also points out that claims of child molestation are verifiable through victim testimony.

  And though the court acknowledges that “the Internet is susceptible to hyperbole, exaggerations, and rhetoric, it is also a place where factual content is conveyed. There is nothing in the content or forum of the Freeport Journal Standard’s website to suggest that [the defendant’s] allegation could not reasonably be interpreted as stating an actual fact.”

  In early August, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to not hear the case, leaving Comcast with little option but to turn over the man’s information to the plaintiff.

  According to the AP, the man was identified earlier this week. The plaintiff in the case says that he is familiar with the commenter, a local attorney.

  “I know him, and I’m very disappointed,” the plaintiff tells the AP. “This has been a nightmare for me.”

  The defendant’s attorney says the plaintiff must now prove that the owner of the IP address actually wrote the comments in question.

  “He’s the gentleman that pays for the Internet access and the IP address,” explained the lawyer. “But many, many people can use an IP address. He has a family and he has a wireless router.”

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uTesla, Airbnb Team Up To Create The “Ultimate Road Trip,” Provide Chargers For Rental Hosts’ Homesr

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  Tesla and Airbnb have teamed up to provide electric car chargers for use by renters.

  What do electric cars and rental properties have in common? Not much, unless of course you live in California, drive a Tesla, and rent your abode on Airbnb, as the two companies recently announced a partnership to provide free charging stations to select hosts’ homes along the left coast.

  Airbnb and Tesla launched their new partnership on Thursday, saying they would provide electric car charging stations to 30 Airbnb properties in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Healdsburg, and other areas of California in an effort to give travelers more freedom on their road trips.

  “Together, we’re building a world with no limits to how far you can travel and how you get there,” Airbnb said in a statement. “From remote deserts to lush forests, we’re unlocking highways, backroads, adventures and unique homes.”

  The campaign, which will eventually expand globally, allows existing Airbnb hosts who list their entire home for rent, have had more than five bookings, and have an average rating of 4 or more stars to apply to receive a free Tesla charging station.

  While the $750 cost of the charging station is covered by the companies, the host is responsible for paying for installation.

  Tesla says it will select the properties to receive a charging station from a curated set of applicants.

  Renters staying in a Tesla charger-equipped home should expect to pay about $10 for a night’s charge, the company estimates.

  In announcing the partnership, Airbnb gave a sneak peek into what a road trip between the two companies would entail.

  The companies enlisted the help of Lia and Garry, who embarked on a road trip through California using a Tesla vehicle and staying in Airbnb rentals.

  “It’s been a lovely, lovely trip,” Garry said of the trip. “And we’ve seen some fabulous places and met some really fine hosts. Really nice people. It’s been a great way to really experience California.”

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uSamsung Wants iPhone Users To Test Drive A Galaxy Smartphone For 30 Daysr

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  (Janitors)

  If you’re an iPhone user who’s been flirting with the idea of switching to an Android phone, it’s understandable that you might be resistant to change — it can take some getting used to when you switch from one operating system to another, in either direction. Samsung wants to take that uncertainty away for iPhone users with a new promo that allows those folks to test drive one of a few Galaxy smartphones for a month.

  The trial period will cost $1 (a processing fee for sending a test phone) and is only open to iPhone users — you have to sign up on an iPhone to get access to the promotion in the first place. You also have to be 18 and have an active data wireless plan.

  Here’s how it works: Samsung will send iPhone users who sign up either a Galaxy S6 Edge, Edge+, or Galaxy Note 5 on the carrier of choice, with an activated SIM and data plan. The company then mails the handset to the customer with a prepaid shipping box for returns.

  If you don’t send the phone back within 30 days, you’ll be stuck with the entire retail cost of the phone.

  The Verge notes this isn’t the first time Samsung has run such a promotion, though a similar offer in 2014 required users to visit a Samsung pop-up store in person.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist